Being a casual practitioner of Feng Shui, the landscaping project here at The Bohemian became somewhat of a personal event. As the old nostalgic shrubs, bushes and plants were wrenched from their foothold both of the earth and my sentimental soul, it became instantly apparent that we invent reasons which prevent us from moving forward. This can be reflected with our houses and the environment surrounding them. Just as a house may require painting for example, a great deal of work needs to be done causing the majority of us to postpone such tasks, silently restricting us from moving on. In my case, to remove the vintage spirea, or bridal wreath (even the name evokes beauty) was a daunting hurdle to overcome. The second they were gone, taking minutes balanced against the 6 years I have pondered about them, I knew it was the right choice. Instantly I felt a reprise from regarding life, joyful as it is, as an occasional uphill struggle. The overgrown unmanageable maintenance, which I incurred every spring and fall was a constant reminder of what I was not able to successfully accomplish, and frankly, not welcoming, however majestic, original and true to the original landscape. For years I have walked around the yard visualizing classically formal gardens interspersed with whimsy that guests might enjoy and a colorful style that would showcase the integrity of the house. I thought often ‘instant landscape’ as much as I wanted to do it myself. That law of attraction is no secret, so what we have now at The Bohemian is pretty much as close as one can come to what I have been hoping to evoke throughout the last several seasons. The gentle beauty of gardens long lost, the kind with blossoms and surprises that create a sense of space in which you want to linger and breath easy again. I am happy to be the recipient of another of life’s graceful gifts, meeting Heather & Lynn Hacker, who with their honorable crew whipped up a delightful outdoor wonder I invite all to enjoy.

Two summers ago I built my very own composter. I have used a spinner one, plastic tower and a nice 3 bin wood unit at Higher Ground, the co-housing community in Oregon where I used to live. They were all nice, but I was after the lowest maintenance composter that I could build with my bare hands. No tools and no money down. I found a model on line that used pallets and bailing wire. Pallets are never a problem to rustle up and I got some wire from my friend Penny. I had seen a really neat bin while out walking the alleys (a Midwest event for exercise, but primarily to check out peoples gardens!) that had encased the inside with black liner material. That seemed like a neat idea to keep things hot inside so I lined mine with used garbage bags. The back pallet was higher than the others so it looks like a throne. One of the goals was that a person didn’t have to turn it much, you could just pick it up and move it over after a while. Well, try telling that to the backyard BBQ gang. They could not get there was no bottom to the bin! I couldn’t do it myself, but finally with a couple of extra hands, move it over we did! Was it ever the Midas touch: that throne served me well, Black Gold! Which is of course true and honest ‘green’. Sustainable practices having always been used at The Bohemian. This first batch of composting will go in the shade garden as I transplant the hostas and native grasses away from the house in anticipating of painting!